Refugee/Migrant Crisis

[petros]

Florida pitches 'Alligator Alcatraz' to detain illegal immigrants
Author of the articleenette Wilford
Published Jun 20, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed that a new detention centre be built in his state to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as they carry out mass deportation efforts under the Trump administration.


The Republican posted a video on X showcasing a large swath of land — 39 square miles — owned by Miami-Dade County.


The “virtually abandoned airport facility” also happens to be in the middle of the Everglades, surrounded by alligators and pythons — hence, why Uthmeier has dubbed the potential space “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He noted on the video that it would have the capacity to “house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens,” and it could be up and running within as little as 30 to 60 days.

“Florida’s been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE’s efforts to detain and deport criminal aliens,” the AG said in the clip.

“The government tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities,” he continued.

“I think this is the best one. As I call it, Alligator Alcatraz.”



Uthmeier boasted the the massive plot of land offers an “efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” which has alligators and pythons “waiting” for anyone who manages to escape.

“Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” he added.

Uthmeier concluded: “Alligator alcatraz, we’re ready to go.”

While many supported the idea, calling it “fantastic” and a “great solution,” others questioned who would pay for it and who would eat the cost for housing them.


ICE migrant detention centres are currently overwhelmed with about 53,000 illegal immigrants under the Trump administration’s latest push — far beyond what is funded by Congress.


The agency is blowing through its budget, with ICE $1 billion over budget, Axios reported.

It’s unknown what the White House thinks of Alligator Alcatraz but it appears the Department of Homeland Security in on board with the offer, reposting Uthmeier’s video on X.



“ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,” the department wrote, before noting the delegation of certain immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies by ICE.

“Under 287g authority, state and local law enforcement can now assist with immigration functions, including: arrests, transportation, and detention. 287g is a force multiplier in completing the President’s mission and making America safe again.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1935775425243808156

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1935741644101374271

‘NOWHERE TO RUN’: Florida pitches 'Alligator Alcatraz' to detain illegal immigrants

Florida's AG proposed that a new detention centre be built in his state to assist ICE as they carry out mass deportation efforts.

torontosun.com

PEI should get in on this.

 

[spaminator]

Native leaders blast construction of Florida’s ’Alligator Alcatraz’ on land they call sacred
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Jun 26, 2025 • 2 minute read

062625-New-Detention-Center-Alligator-Alcatraz
This image grab from video shows activity at an immigration detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" located at an isolated Everglades airfield. (WSVN via AP) AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is racing ahead with construction of a makeshift immigration detention facility at an airstrip in the Everglades over the opposition of Native American leaders who consider the area their sacred ancestral homelands.


A string of portable generators and dump trucks loaded with fill dirt streamed into the site on Thursday, according to activist Jessica Namath, who witnessed the activity. The state is plowing ahead with building a compound of heavy-duty tents, trailers and other temporary buildings at the county-owned airfield located in the Big Cypress National Preserve, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) west of downtown Miami.


A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is helping lead the project, did not respond to requests for comment.

State officials have characterized the site as an ideal place to hold migrants, saying there’s “not much” there other than pythons and alligators.

Indigenous leaders who can trace their roots to the area back thousands of years dispute that — and they’re condemning the state’s plans to build what’s been dubbed ” Alligator Alcatraz ” on their homelands.


For generations, the sweeping wetlands of what is now South Florida have been home to Native peoples who today make up the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

“Rather than Miccosukee homelands being an uninhabited wasteland for alligators and pythons, as some have suggested, the Big Cypress is the Tribe’s traditional homelands. The landscape has protected the Miccosukee and Seminole people for generations,” Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress wrote in a statement on social media.

There are 15 remaining traditional Miccosukee and Seminole villages in Big Cypress, as well as ceremonial and burial grounds and other gathering sites, Cypress testified before Congress in 2024.


“We live here. Our ancestors fought and died here. They are buried here,” he said. “The Big Cypress is part of us, and we are a part of it.”

Critics have condemned the facility and what they call the state’s apparent reliance on alligators as a security measure as a cruel spectacle, while DeSantis and other state officials have defended it as part of Florida’s muscular efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Tribal leaders and environmentalists are urging the state to change course, noting billions of dollars in state and federal funds have been poured into Everglades restoration in recent years, an investment they say is jeopardized by plans to house some 1,000 migrants at the site for an undetermined amount of time.

062625-Florida-Alcatraz-Things-to-Know
In this image from undated video released by the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier shows an isolated Everglades airfield about 45 miles (72 kms.) west of Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) AP
Indigenous leaders and activists are planning to gather at the site again on Saturday to stage a demonstration highlighting why the area is “sacred” and should be “protected, not destroyed.”

“This place became our refuge in time of war. It provides us a place to continue our culture and traditions,” Miccosukee leader Betty Osceola wrote in a social media post announcing the demonstration.

“And we need to protect it for our future generations,” she added.

Native leaders blast construction of Florida’s ’Alligator Alcatraz’ on land they call sacred

A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is helping lead the project, did not respond to requests for comment.

torontosun.com

 

[pgs]

Native leaders blast construction of Florida’s ’Alligator Alcatraz’ on land they call sacred
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Jun 26, 2025 • 2 minute read

062625-New-Detention-Center-Alligator-Alcatraz
This image grab from video shows activity at an immigration detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" located at an isolated Everglades airfield. (WSVN via AP) AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is racing ahead with construction of a makeshift immigration detention facility at an airstrip in the Everglades over the opposition of Native American leaders who consider the area their sacred ancestral homelands.


A string of portable generators and dump trucks loaded with fill dirt streamed into the site on Thursday, according to activist Jessica Namath, who witnessed the activity. The state is plowing ahead with building a compound of heavy-duty tents, trailers and other temporary buildings at the county-owned airfield located in the Big Cypress National Preserve, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) west of downtown Miami.


A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is helping lead the project, did not respond to requests for comment.

State officials have characterized the site as an ideal place to hold migrants, saying there’s “not much” there other than pythons and alligators.

Indigenous leaders who can trace their roots to the area back thousands of years dispute that — and they’re condemning the state’s plans to build what’s been dubbed ” Alligator Alcatraz ” on their homelands.


For generations, the sweeping wetlands of what is now South Florida have been home to Native peoples who today make up the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

“Rather than Miccosukee homelands being an uninhabited wasteland for alligators and pythons, as some have suggested, the Big Cypress is the Tribe’s traditional homelands. The landscape has protected the Miccosukee and Seminole people for generations,” Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress wrote in a statement on social media.

There are 15 remaining traditional Miccosukee and Seminole villages in Big Cypress, as well as ceremonial and burial grounds and other gathering sites, Cypress testified before Congress in 2024.


“We live here. Our ancestors fought and died here. They are buried here,” he said. “The Big Cypress is part of us, and we are a part of it.”

Critics have condemned the facility and what they call the state’s apparent reliance on alligators as a security measure as a cruel spectacle, while DeSantis and other state officials have defended it as part of Florida’s muscular efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Tribal leaders and environmentalists are urging the state to change course, noting billions of dollars in state and federal funds have been poured into Everglades restoration in recent years, an investment they say is jeopardized by plans to house some 1,000 migrants at the site for an undetermined amount of time.

062625-Florida-Alcatraz-Things-to-Know
In this image from undated video released by the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier shows an isolated Everglades airfield about 45 miles (72 kms.) west of Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) AP
Indigenous leaders and activists are planning to gather at the site again on Saturday to stage a demonstration highlighting why the area is “sacred” and should be “protected, not destroyed.”

“This place became our refuge in time of war. It provides us a place to continue our culture and traditions,” Miccosukee leader Betty Osceola wrote in a social media post announcing the demonstration.

“And we need to protect it for our future generations,” she added.

Native leaders blast construction of Florida’s ’Alligator Alcatraz’ on land they call sacred

A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is helping lead the project, did not respond to requests for comment.

torontosun.com

They got moved from Oklahoma to sacred ground .